Incidence of penile cancer in Southeast Wales: A 15‐year retrospective review
Joseph Latham, Oliver Lane, David Gower, Adrian Sale, Anthony Shanahan, Mohammed Ali, Gareth BrownAbstract
Objectives
This study aims to determine the 15‐year incidence of penile cancer (PeCa) and penile intraepithelial neoplasia (PeIN) in Southeast Wales, evaluate regional variation and compare findings to UK and global rates.
Materials and Methods
A retrospective review was conducted of all PeCa and PeIN cases diagnosed between January 2009 and December 2024 within the referral population served by the Royal Glamorgan Hospital, the tertiary centre for Southeast Wales. Postcodes were matched to local authorities and linked to mid‐year male population estimates from the Office for National Statistics. Crude incidence rates per 100 000 males were calculated for each region across the 15‐year study period.
Results
A total of 298 cases were identified across 11 local authorities, representing 64% of the Welsh population. The mean crude incidence was 2.61 per 100 000 males (95% CI 1.59–3.62), ranging from 0.29 to 5.96. Blaenau Gwent demonstrated the highest incidence (5.96 per 100 000), followed by Merthyr Tydfil (3.68), Rhondda Cynon Taf (3.39), Newport (3.32) and Monmouthshire (2.90). Nine of 11 regions exceeded the reported UK average of 1.30 per 100 000, and 10 exceeded the global average of 0.80 per 100 000. Areas with higher incidence corresponded strongly with measures of socioeconomic deprivation.
Conclusions
The incidence of PeCa and PeIN in Southeast Wales is substantially higher than previously reported UK and global rates. Regions with greater socioeconomic deprivation exhibit disproportionately elevated incidence. These findings highlight an urgent need for targeted public health interventions, including smoking cessation, HPV vaccination uptake and improved recognition of early penile lesions in primary care.